“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”

— 2 Timothy 4:17

March 17 is actually “Sinner Patrick Day.” But though he was a young and rebellious youth, he was to be finally overtaken by the “Hound of Heaven.” This young man from England was captured by pirates. At age 16, living as he did on the beach of the western coast of England, just south of Scotland, he and two of his friends had spent the day in the breakers in the ocean. Suddenly, they looked over here and they saw a whole group of “freebooters”—Irish pirates.

Fast forward years later, after a horrible time as a slave of the Irish, Sinner Patrick became Saint Patrick as he drew close to Jesus Christ. Eventually, he got his chance to escape slavery and escape from Ireland.

But he returned to the place of his humiliating slavery as a missionary of the Gospel after theological training. What an effective ministry he had.

His accomplishment was absolutely gigantic. No one had ever gone to convert a nation outside the rule of Rome, but Patrick did. Every day of his life he was in mortal danger. He was in the midst of some of the fiercest, cruelest people the world has ever seen—the Druids. But he trusted in Christ for his protection as he prayed regularly for the protection of Christ, “Christ before me, Christ behind me….” By the power of the Gospel, he changed that entire nation.

Lord of the nations, thank You for the example of Your servant, St. Patrick, in proclaiming Your Gospel to people who so desperately need You…

LORD, GIVE ME STRENGTH FOR TODAY
TO SPREAD YOUR KINGDOM.